Journal of Petroleum & Environmental Biotechnology

Abstract

Comparative Study of Injection Systems in Vapor Phase in the Remediation of Soils Contaminated by Diesel

Rayana Hozana Bezerril, Tamyris Thaise Costa de Souza, Adriana Margarida Zanbotto Ramalho, Djalma Ribeiro da Silva and Tereza Neuma de Castro Dantas

Gasoline and diesel leaks in underground storage tanks contaminate soils with petroleum hydrocarbons. Various techniques using surfactants have been proposed to remedy this type of contamination. This study presents the application of different systems containing surfactants in vapor phase. It compares the removal efficiencies of diesel contaminated soils using vapor injection systems: surfactant water solutions, micro-emulsions, and nano-emulsions. The surfactant used in the experiments was ethoxylated alcohol UNTL-90 in aqueous solution, in nano-emulsion, and micro-emulsion systems. Among the systems investigated, the nano-emulsion showed the highest removal efficiency (88%), being environmentally friendly and technically feasible with a system that has a lower content of active matter.